


Beware The Cipher's Garden

by TheSweetestTrickster



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: AKA, Also OC - Freeform, Also mentions of said OC having past relationships with some characters, Because I shamelessly throw my OC into EVERYTHING, Because fAN FICTION IS KING, Fanfiction, Gen, Have some "I'm not over the finale of this show yet" stuff, Just in case that bugs some people, Made up lore as well, SO, yea
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-18
Updated: 2016-07-15
Packaged: 2018-05-21 11:19:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6049660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSweetestTrickster/pseuds/TheSweetestTrickster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's summer once again, and with the events of Weirdmageddon behind them, Mabel and Dipper Pines are back on the road from California to Oregon to spend time in their favorite place: Gravity Falls. But out on the open sea, Stanford Pines keeps having strange visions in his dreams. Bill Cipher is dead. Gone. Sent back to his own Nightmare Realm. So... Why does his voice keep echoing in the author's head? </p><p>It's then that Stanford realizes that, in the heat of it all, he had overlooked one serious, SERIOUS error...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The  _Stan of War II_ was anchored down for the night in the middle of a calm sea. Stanford "Ford" Pines, and his twin brother Stanley, were sleeping soundly in their bunks. The hunting and adventuring had been going well, and while Bill Cipher _may_ have destroyed the journals, Ford knew there was enough weirdness out there to fill a whole library. Besides, in his last correspondence with Dipper, the boy had promised to try and fill in the blanks the best he could. Ford knew he wouldn't have a hard time, not after the events of the Weirdmageddon brought him and many of Gravity Fall's supernatural creatures to such trusting terms. Heck, that kid might learn more than Ford ever had.

Stan grumbled in his sleep, something incoherent about a pig and a bag of potato chips. There was a shift in the wind that blew through the small open window above Ford's bed, rustling his dark grey hair and causing him to wake slightly from the sudden chill. He sat up a bit (as much as the top bunk would allow), and rubbed a six fingered hand to his sleep filled eye. There was a shift in the darkness, something moving just out of his vision. Startled now, Ford grabbed his glasses and slipped them onto his face, silently cursing the crack that was still in them. Once again, eyes scanned the darkness of the small room, his body leaning slightly towards the edge, ready to wake his sleeping twin should he require his assistance.

Another shift. There!

His eyes found a figure standing at the foot of the ladder to the outside of the boat. In the darkness, it was nothing more than a black silhouette, but he could guess it wasn't very tall. Maybe five feet, if the steps of the ladder were any indication. It looked humanoid, but Ford knew lots of creatures who could appear that way. The man stared at the shape for a long time, waiting. There was nothing but ringing silence for about five minutes. The thing didn't move. Didn't seem to breathe. And eventually, Ford spoke in the softest tone he could manage. "Hello?"

Instantly, large eyes flew open. They glowed a bright yellow, the pupil in them a single black slit. Laughter that was sickeningly familiar echoed through the cabin room, making Ford shift as far away from the still black mass as he possibly could. What looked like four wings extended, eyes along the length of them, all glowing and black pupil-ed just as the ones on the creature's face. Slowly, through his panic, Ford realized that a whispered voice was getting louder, and louder, and  _louder:_

"Nedrag s'rehpic eht eraweb,

_Nedrag s'rehpic eht eraweb,_

##  **_NeDRAg S’REhpiC EHt eRAWeB!"_ **

Suddenly, Ford shot upright in his bed, moving so fast he smacked his head on the roof. "Ow!" he groaned, rubbing his head. He was breathing hard, covered in sweat. The room was empty and silent, save for the low groans of his slowly waking brother. Had... Had it been a dream? Ford heard Stan grumbling underneath him. 

"You okay up there genius?" he graveled, "It's nearly three in the morning or whatever."

Stan was quiet for a moment, replaying the words over and over in his head. Backwards. They were  _backward_. It took him a few moments, but he finally worked out what they meant when spoken forward. And when he did, he went sheet white. 

"Stan... We need to get back to Gravity Falls.  _Now_."

* * *

 

Dipper had been working all year on his journals. Sure, he'd admit, they weren't as  _fancy looking_ as Ford's journals -- Dipper didn't have six fingers, after all. But it was his own hand on the cover, and he decided that would make it unique enough. "You think six is going to be enough, Mabel?" he asked his twin sister, rummaging through his bag, "I-I mean, I brought supplies to make more just in case, b-but I dunno." 

Beside him, Mabel Pines was happily swinging her legs and staring out the bus' window. Waddles was sleeping in her lap, and one of her hands was patting an idle beat on the pig's belly. She turned, the collar of her sweater of the day (a lovely one she'd knitted  _just_ for this occasion, with a big, colorful, "I <3 Gravity Falls!" on the front) brushing her chin. "Aw c'mon, Dip!" she beamed, "I think, like a  _bajillion_ journals wouldn't be enough to write down all the weirdo stuff goin' on in Gravity Falls.  _But_ I think six is  _more_ than enough t' get you through the summer. Don't you agree, Waddles?"

Even in his sleep, the pig gave a dutiful reply of two oinks.

Dipper smiled, closing the pack and looking out the window. His heart soared when he saw that familiar old water tower, and he knew they weren't that far away now. He was, admittedly, a bit sad that Grunkle Stan and Ford wouldn't be there to greet them, but Ford had promised they'd be down later in the summer. At the very latest, they'd be there for his and Mabel's 14th birthday party. But he knew Soos and Wendy would be there, and Candy and Grenda would be there to greet Mabel. He'd honestly missed everyone, even (and he'd  _never_ admit it) Gideon and Pacifica. He was just glad their parents had allowed them out for another summer.

"Look, Dipper! There they are!"

The brunette looked up, and as Mabel had said, there at the stop stood all their friends. Wendy was still wearing Dipper's hat (and, naturally, Dipper was still wearing her's), Soos was dressed much like Stan used to, and seemed to wear that fez with pride. Grenda and Candy stood with a very glitterized banner that read: "WELCOME BACK MABEL!" And as the bus approached, they all seemed to come alive with excitement.

He wondered, jokingly, if they would even recognize them. Despite Mabel growing a millimeter taller than him last summer, it had been Dipper who'd hit the major growth spurt. Sure, Mabel was a few inches taller, a bit leaner, but Dipper had grown almost a foot in the past year. He'd started puberty, a bit of peach fuzz on his chin, his voice changed, and he was at that awkward stage where his baby fat didn't know if it wanted to stay or go or turn into muscle. But it was still them. Of  _course_ it was still them.

The bus stopped, and the door opened. The driver called out the stop name and Dipper jumped up. He grabbed his suitcase, Mabel and Waddles right behind, and charged for the stairs. The instant they were visible, there was a chorus of "Dipper! Mabel!" And the two groups met. Mabel hugged Grenda and Candy, the three squealing and already making promises to spill all the beans about their last year of middle school. Dipper was nearly squeezed to death by Soos, who kept saying how much he'd missed him and his sister. Wendy grinned at him, giving him a playful punch on the shoulder, to which Dipper replied with a small smile and wave.

"Naw, c'mere you," the ginger grinned, yanking Dipper into a tight hug. The more awkward Pines sibling stuttered, then simply hugged her. Time may have gotten Dipper past Wendy, but he couldn't deny the butterflies that still lingered in his stomach at the sight of her. She pulled back, looking him over with analytical eyes, and grinning. "You got taller. Guess I won't be able to call you  _Little_ Dipper for much longer, huh?"

Dipper's cheeks flushed with color and he scratched the back of his neck. "Y-Yea, I guess not." 

"C'mon you guys," Soos announced with that smile of his, "I've got snacks and stuff waiting at the Shack. I even did up your rooms in the attic again, like old times! It'll be fun!"

There was a cheer of agreement that rang through the group (even Waddles gave an oink of excitement), and everyone piled into Soos' truck. The girls talked excitedly about what had been going on since they were all together last, and Dipper honestly decided he didn't mind them sleeping over. It used to bother him, but he and Mabel had talked quite a bit about "toning down the sleepovers" while they were home, and had laid out a few ground rules for this summer. Dipper would keep his late night reading and research to two hours max after lights out, and Mabel would keep the girls quiet when they slept over. It seemed pretty fair from both points of view. 

Dipper's eyes wandered as they drove through town. Some people recognized him; Lazy Susan gave a wave, Mayor Tyler gave an excited squeal, and even Robbie of all people gave a small, barely noticeable nod of greeting as he walked down the street with Tambry. Everything looked just as Dipper had remembered it, and that made him feel warm inside. It was like coming to a home away from home.

They all pulled up to the Mystery Shack, discussing the pros and cons of the  _Ducktective_ spin-off show,  _Case Quacked!_ , when Soos scratched his head. "Huh. Wendy, I thought we put up a 'Closed for the day' sign before we left."

"Huh?" Wendy replied, looking towards the Shack with a confused frown. The door was cracked and lights were on, movement clearly inside. At least two people, one frantic and one sitting, were moving about. Soos frowned and motioned for the others to keep behind him as they made their way up the steps and into the house. Dipper brought up the rear, and when he saw Soos react, he couldn't quite see to whom. It wasn't until he and Mabel entered that he realized who was there.

"Grunkle Stan!" Mabel cheered, "Grunkle Ford!"

"Hey there, pumpkin!" Stan beamed, scooping up his niece happily, "How are you, kiddo? Boy have I missed you."

"Dipper." He turned, and there was Ford. He was smiling, but Dipper could see the stress in his eyes. They embraced, and he chuckled. "You've gotten taller, Dipper," he observed, and Stan cut in. 

"Yea yea, he's a regular ol' giraffe -- c'mere, kid!"

Dipper was more than happy to embrace his grunkle as Mabel moved to Ford, nearly tackling him with a hug. Dipper pulled back, looking between the two in confusion. "Look, not that I'm not happy to see you two -- b-because I really, really am," he said, "But what are you two doing back so early? Didn't you say you'd be here in the middle of the summer at the earliest?"

Ford and Stan shared a look, and Ford sighed. "I'm afraid the welcome home celebrations are going to have to wait until tomorrow," he said, mostly to the four people still standing at the door, "Dipper, Mabel... We have something we need to discuss." 


	2. Chapter 2

With a promise to continue the celebrations tomorrow, Grenda and Candy left, followed by Wendy. Soos retreated to his bedroom, leaving the Pines the whole downstairs to themselves. Ford was grateful that they didn't put up a fuss -- then again, after the events of Weirdmageddon, they kind of knew that if Ford needed to speak to the twins in private, it was because of something big. 

Mabel was sitting on the arm of the couch, Stan sitting in the seat itself, and Dipper standing beside them. Waddles had made himself at home in his usual place on the floor, watching with upside down eyes as Ford paced in the small space. "I may have made a miscalculation," he admitted finally, pausing to look up at the other three. All he'd told Stan on this issue was that the kids were in danger, and they needed to get back right away. So, naturally, the ex mystery man was on edge. 

"Well spit it out, Ford," he said, concern edging in his voice, "What's wrong?" 

The scientist looked at the three of them, and Dipper noted the hint of defeat and something akin to self disappointment in the elder's eyes. "It's... It's about Bill." The room was dead quiet then, Mabel clearly holding her breath as Stan's fists clenched on the couch. He still had some parts of his memory missing from when they erased Bill back to his dimension. If all of that was for nothing, if Stan had sacrificed his memory in vain... He grit his teeth and shook his head, eyes quietly urging his brother to continue his explanation. 

"I... In the heat of it all, in the midst of the Weirdmageddon, I had forgotten everything except what mattered to destroy Bill Cipher," he began quietly, tired eyes looking out the window instead of towards his family, "And once we'd gotten rid of him, I figured I could put it all out of my mind for good. But... But a while ago, I... I had a dream about Bill. Something I had long forgotten, shoved away as unimportant, resurfaced. And now, with Bill gone and likely very eager for revenge... I fear that this threat is more real than ever." 

Dipper frowned, going through the journals in his mind. There wasn't anything about Bill that he didn't recall them using in some way or another. Mabel and Stan must have had similar looks on their faces, because when Ford looked back at them, he sighed. "Come with me," he prompted quietly. The three followed to the candy machine, Mabel speaking up.

"But... wait. I thought you said when you shot Grunkle Stan with the memory thingy, that Bill would be gone for good...?" she questioned, a hint of worry in her tone. It still upset her, remembering that day. Remembering Stan saying he didn't remember her. Mabel's heart was fragile, and while things now were better, she still cried over that moment sometimes when she thought Dipper was asleep. It tugged at his heartstrings, knowing that that moment haunted her. He wished he could help somehow.

Down the stairs they went, down the elevator, into the lab. It was dusty, dirty, untouched.  _Well, at least Soos hasn't been down here messing around,_ Ford thought to himself, guiding the group over to the locked cabinet. A key was produced from Ford's pocket, and once unlocked, the cabinet drawer shot open, knocking Stan in the gut. He coughed and gripped his stomach, and Ford cringed. "Ah, sorry. Forgot about that..."

Stan simply waved his hand, shooing away the apology even though he was doubled over and gasping for air. 

"A few weeks before I hid the journals, when all was well and I still believed Bill was my friend, I had started a  _fourth_ journal." He pulled the red book from the drawer, and Dipper's eyes got as big as saucers. It was in pristine condition, the golden, six fingered hand still glittery. "I had started filling this one with things I observed about Bill, things I heard him talk about. It's not very full, I'm afraid, and would have been no help to us during Weirdmageddon." He flipped through the pages, eyeing the diagrams of that wicked one eyed triangle, drawings and theories that littered the pages. There were only three, and they weren't very fleshed out, but that was all that Ford needed to confirm his worst fears. "Here."

He opened the last page, handing the journal to Dipper. He took it, Mabel and Stan eyeing the page along side him. " _Entry:_   _The Cipher's Garden_ ," he read, his brows furrowing, " _Bill continues to speak of a 'garden' he must tend to. Five times now, he has interrupted our sessions in order to tend to this garden. I have once requested to see it, and Bill's response to my request unnerved me. While the words themselves, 'You'll see it soon enough, kid', seemed innocent enough, the way he spoke them unsettled me greatly. He once returned with a single black, gold tipped feather, and handed it to me, saying he'd brought me a 'gift' from his garden_." Eyes flicked to the feather in question, still pristine and taped to the page beside it. 

Dipper ran his fingers over the feather, amazed by the softness of it. Mabel continued to read, as Dipper seemed distracted by the feather. " _I suspect Bill has forbidden me from seeing the garden since it is in his true dimension, one he says I cannot travel to without the interdimensional gateway. We test it tomorrow. Perhaps Bill will allow me to see it then_."

The younger Pines boy realized then that there would be no more on the garden. They knew the story of the gateway test -- the day that Ford realized Bill had been tricking him, the day he shut down all his research. Ford sighed, turning towards the group. "The way he spoke about it was often like a gardener would talk about a crop they were growing for a competition, always bragging about the beauty and the power of it and how, when the time came, it would be unlike anything the world had ever seen." Dipper looked from Ford, to the feather, once more brushing his fingers over it.

"Did he ever tell you what the feather came from?" he questioned silently, and Ford shook his head.

"No," he answered, "He simply said, 'It's from my garden'. Always 'my' garden, never 'the' garden. Like it was a possession, not a place."

"Maybe Bill just really likes flowers!" Mabel chirped, beaming, "I bet he had a whole bunch'a yellow ones. Daisies, dandelions, sunflowers, coreopsiseseses--"

"A nice thought, Mabel," Ford chuckled slightly, petting her hair, "But I don't think Bill Cipher was into gardening. Whatever this 'garden' is, whatever he's growing, I think it's something he could use to return to our world. And unless we can find out how to destroy it..."

"... then Bill could come back," Dipper finished, a hint of fear in his voice. This was bad. Very,  _very_ bad...


	3. Chapter 3

Dipper couldn't sleep that night. Though the familiar and comforting sounds of Mabel and Waddles' snoring filled the attic space, added now by the snores of Stan and Ford, would usually be enough comfort for Dipper to fall asleep, tonight it just wasn't cutting it. What... What if Bill _did_ come back? Sure, there was no interdimensional gateway he'd be able to use, but that didn't mean there weren't other ways Bill could achieve his dark deeds -- and he _definitely_ could still torment Dipper's family. He doubted that Bill would ever try and possess Stan or Ford again, what with the last incident. So what if he tortured them all until he or Mabel gave in and allowed him into their mind? Then continued torment until they built the gateway again?

Mabel mumbled in her sleep about not giving Waddles bacon, and Dipper managed a small smile. Even in her sleep, Mabel relaxed him.

He decided it wouldn't do him any benefit to stay up and worry about it. No, the best thing he could do now was get some sleep. In the morning, he'd get Stan to write down everything he knew and remembered about Bill Cipher. He'd take Mabel and they'd go question all the creatures in the forest they'd befriended during Weirdmageddon. Maybe they'd heard rumor about the Garden, or really knew _anything_ that could help them. He fell asleep planning, thankful that the unicorn hair warding was still up around the Mystery Shack.

In the morning, Dipper was the last awake. He made his way downstairs as the rest of the Pines family (and Soos, of course) were making breakfast. "Alright, so, today I think we should work on getting information," he announced, sitting at the table besides Mabel, "Grunkle Ford, do you think you could write down everything you remember about Bill? Weaknesses, traits, anything you can manage?" Ford nodded, though didn't look like he was in a mood to talk, eyes very longingly glancing at his empty coffee mug as he waited for the machine to finish producing the brew.

"Whaddo you want me to do, Dipper?" Soos piped in, and Dipper gave a small smile. Ah, Soos. Always willing to help.

"Keep the Shack running as usual," he told him, "Keep an eye out for anyone or anything suspicious. While Bill may not be out there, his goons might be, so I'd rather us be safer than sorry." Soos nodded, and walked out of the kitchen with a tray of pancakes likely for his beloved _abuela_. Dipper turned to Mabel then, who was happily feeding Waddles off her plate. "Mabel, you and I are going to go ask around the creatures of Gravity Falls. Maybe they know something."

Mabel groaned, frowning. "Even the gnomes?" she questioned with a frown.

Dipper chuckled. "Yes, Mabel. Even the gnomes."

* * *

Dressed and armed with his journal, he and Mabel had headed out with an optimistic outlook. But, slowly, the more creatures they questioned, the less optimistic this outlook became. It seemed literally  _no one_ knew what this magical Cipher's Garden was. True, Dipper hadn't expected much, but no one had even  _heard_ of it. Fresh out of ideas, Dipper and Mabel decided it was best to go to Greasy's Diner to regroup and replan. Besides, it was lunch time, and Mabel insisted that one could not attempt to beat a dream demon in an empty stomach.

"I just don't get it," Dipper mumbled, poking at his fries as Mable happily ate her food, "Do you think maybe that Grunkle Ford's kinda... I dunno, lost it? Maybe he's just being paranoid and having nightmares and making up memories of things?"

Mabel shrugged, swallowing down a mouthful of fries with her milkshake. "I dunno," she replied, "I mean, it sure is possible. But Grunkle Ford is... Well, Grunkle Ford. He's the super smart one, and he's never been wrong before, has he? Why would he suddenly start going kookoo crazypants?"

Dipper sighed. "You're right, you're right," he said, running a hand through his hair, "I just... Why can't we find anything about this Cipher's Garden if it's so important?"

There was a small clearing of a throat from the booth behind Dipper that caught both their attentions. "Did y'all say  _Cipher's Garden_?"

They recognized the voice, and it made them both frown. "Gideon." 

Sure enough, from around the booth appeared Gideon Gleeful, dressed in his little blue suit with his hair poofed as usual. His change of heart during Weirdmageddon hadn't been forgotten by Dipper, but that didn't mean the actions leading up to it had been forgiven, either. It was a strange type of truce they all had, a tolerance of each other, though Gideon  _did_ seem resentful of his actions. Dipper actually believed, somewhere down the line, they could forgive him. But for now, they'd tolerate him. The pale boy cleared his throat, scratching his neck slightly.

"I-I didn't mean t' eavesdrop, honest," he said, "But I couldn't help but overhear y'all talkin' about the Cipher's Garden."

"Yea? What do  _you_ know about it, Gideon?" Dipper questioned. Though, when he thought about it, it  _was_ possible for Gideon to have some information. He was the one that had the book about Bill. He may actually have some information for them. And with that in mind (plus the desperation for said information), Dipper forced himself to relax a bit and hopefully appear more open to the other. "Anything you could tell us would be helpful," he said, his tone entirely different, too. It made Mabel frown, but she understood why Dipper was doing what he was.

"I read that book cover t' cover, back and forth. I didn't leave anythin' unmemorized," Gideon said, "And I remember, on the page with the summonin' spell for Bill, there was a lil' footnote marked, 'The Cipher's Garden'."

Dipper and Mabel looked at each other, and Dipper opened up his journal. "What did it say?" he asked nervously, clicking his pen and handing them both to him.

Gideon shook his head slightly. "Not much, I'm afraid," he reported with a small sigh, "There was a lil' poem, but that was about it." He scribbled it down and handed it back to Dipper. "Listen, I gotta go now. We're headed back home. But if y'all need my help in any way, y'all just lemme know, m'kay?" He gave a timid wave, and was off with his father. Dipper and Mabel looked at what he'd written:

 _Beware the Cipher’s Garden_  
_From through it he will rise_  
_Allow your heart to harden  
Lest the beast bring your demise_

"Whoah," Mabel frowned, "What does that even mean?"

Dipper's frown matched his twin's. "I dunno. But whatever it is, it's not good."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So super SUPER sorry about all the delays... a LOT more people are interested in this story than I thought they would be, so I've been SUPER worried about letting people down .-. I'm gonna keep trying though, sorry to keep you all waiting!!

New information in hand, the Pines twins headed back to the Mystery Shack.

Dipper had hoped he was right. That Ford was just getting old and crazy and that he had imagined the whole thing. Or, even less likely, this was all a prank set up by their Grunkles to spice up the summer. But when Gideon stepped in to speak, giving them new information, he knew this was anything but make believe. And it upset him. He'd been so happy and so excited to spend the summer back at Gravity Falls with his friends. But now? Once again, they were fighting for their life against the forces of weird. Why him? Of all the twins out there, why  _ him _ ?

They arrived at the Mystery Shack, Waddles greeting Mabel at the door as she happily scooped him up. "I'm gonna go give Waddles a bath," she announced happily before trodding off. Dipper knew it was an excuse to be away from whatever new knowledge was about to be spilled. As she left, Stan and Ford entered, grim looks on their faces. "Well, I wrote down what I could, but it's nothing new and nothing that could help us," Ford sighed, setting down a few spiral bound notebooks, "Let's hope you had better luck."

It was Dipper's turn to sigh. "Unfortunately, I did," he replied, handing Ford the notepad Gideon had written on. The scientist looked the note over, frowning. He muttered the words over as he reread the poem, scratching his head.

" _Beware the Cipher's garden_?" he questioned, "Why do I know that from somewhere...?"

"Isn't that the phrase you heard in your dream?" Dipper questioned, but the elder shook his head.

"No, no. Well, I mean yes, but I'm talking about in  _this_ sense, in the poem," Ford clarified, "I've heard the poem before. But where...?" He thought in silence for a moment, and for a few seconds Dipper though the trail ran cold -- until Ford's head snapped up. "McGucket!" he responded, looking between his twin and Dipper, "When he came through the gateway! It was one of the things he said!"

Dipper was both excited and upset. Excited because, well, they had a lead, and that was good. The closer they got to solving the riddle, the closer they got to destroying the Garden. Upset because  _they had a lead_. It didn't end and they couldn't drop it as some weird anomaly. He sighed, lifting his hat to scratch his head before setting it back down over messy brown locks. "Welp. Shall we go question the old man?"

"Hey, we're not much older than he is," Grunkle Stan mumbled. They packed up and headed out for McGucket's, nervous as to what they might learn.

* * *

 

"Eeeyup, I remember this phrase here alright."

McGucket looked over the text with those strange, crooked eyes of his, scratching his head. "Well I gotta be honest with ya, that part's the fuzziest of it all," he admitted. Ford looked at his old friend sympathetically, a hand resting on his shoulder. "Just tell us what you can remember, Fiddleford," the six fingered man encouraged gently. The other sighed, looking to Dipper, who held a pen and paper poised to write.

"It was one'na the last things I saw before I left the gateway," he began, "I was all prickled by thorns -- sometimes I  _still_ feel them thorns in my sleep. And there were these big, flappin' wings, makin' a mighty wind that darn near blew me away if the thrones hadn't been holdin' me. And there were these big yella' eyes, and they--"

"Wait," Dipper interrupted, frowning, "Eye _s_? As in  _plural_?"

McGucket nodded. "Yea, there was two of 'em, bright as the sun with that lil' slit in 'em like Bill's got. An' they just stared at me, stared  _through_ me... Then I was on t' some other horror, the wings 'n everythin' else gone." 

"And that's all you can remember?" Ford asked. McGucket nodded solemnly. 

"Two eyes... But Bill only has one," Stan thought aloud, "What the heck did he see?"

"I don't know," the twin responded, then turned to McGucket, "Thank you, Fiddleford."

They left in silence, half way to the Shack before anyone spoke. 

"Thorns, wings, two eyes... None of anything Bill had done was like that," Dipper recalled, "He killed all the plants, destroyed everything. And he didn't have wings, neither did any of his goonies. So what could it be?"

Ford sighed, running a six fingered hand through his hair. "I have no idea, Dipper," he responded, "But when we get back, you and Mabel best be sure that unicorn hair ward is holding up until we get to the bottom of this."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter is so short! It's DISGUSTINGLY short, and I am so sorry. I've been having so many issues with this story, with getting the plot going, with making it perfect for you guys. I've been out of town and I forced myself to crank out another chapter for you all, and things are going to start picking up soon, so writing will hopefully be easier, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to finish it or if I'll have to mark it as an unfinished story. Sorry again, guys D:

_ Two eyes…  _ Two eyes? What the heck could exist that had  _ two  _ eyes but was Bill? Sure, some of his henchmen had two eyes, but none of them fit the description Fiddleford gave about the being itself. It seemed like it was back to the drawing board, much to the gang’s dismay. 

They were all walking back to the Mystery Shack when Dipper had a thought.  **_Two_ ** _ eyes? This thing’s deluxe!  _ Dipper remembered the words from when Bill had weaseled his way into his body. Maybe… No, Bill wouldn’t think so far ahead, would he? But the more Dipper thought of it, the more he realized the likelihood of it all. 

“Ford?” he spoke tentatively, and when the six-fingered twin looked back at him, he spoke, “Is it possible that… Maybe… Bill was  _ growing  _ a new body?” 

Ford looked at him in silence, thinking. “Growing a new body? Why the hecky would he do that?” Stan grumbled, “Seems stupid. And impossible.”

“Actually, considering what Bill can do, it’s  _ very  _ possible.”

They all went silent then. 

“Are… Are you serious?” Dipper whispered, “Bill could have some human-pod- _ thing  _ growing out in Gravity Falls right now, growing, ready to bring him back into the world?”

He nodded quietly, looking at his grand-nephew. “It’s entirely possible. Plants are sensitive to the supernatural and the weird, so if Bill planted the seed as it were, then perhaps it’s growing strong even as we speak.”

Dipper had to stop and lean against a tree to collect himself, and Stan saw his obvious distress. “Wait wait wait wait  _ wait _ , how do we know McGucket wasn’t just seein’ things, huh?” the Grunkle muttered, “I mean, he saw a whole buncha horrors in there, right? Besides, he’s half off his rocker, how can we trust anything he says?”

Ford sighed, and it was clear in his eyes that he wished more than anything that he could side with his twin. “He’s never been wrong or inconsistent about his vision in the gateway. I’ve been quizzing him ever since we returned, and he’s never faltered or changed his story. If it’s what Fiddleford says, then that’s the truth.”

“Uh… Then, uh… What did the journal say about--”

“It’s  _ pointless _ , Grunkle Stan,” Dipper replied, rubbing his face, “there’s nothing we can do, there’s no going around it. What McGucket said, happened. Bill’s possibly growing a pod-like body out there somewhere that he doesn’t need permission to enter. And if Ford’s dream is anything to say on it, it’s on its way.”

The elder twins exchanged a look and sighed. So much for a quiet summer.


End file.
